Untold Fate
by FantasyWriting
Summary: Sequel to: 'An End to the Eternal War'. "A tale about two similar warriors. One was the alluring rose of mystery and coldness. The other was the fierce storm of refusal to reality. Now the two warriors have awoken from their slumber. The next ones destined to play their unknown role in the world where a year has passed..." Discontinued.
1. Prologue - The Guardian and his Rose

**Prologue - The Guardian and his Rose**

 _Goddess Etro._

 _She is kind._

 _She is compassionate._

 _Some even consider her more 'human' than 'God'._

 _But her heart felt actions never once commenced anything positive._

 _Instead, they caused endless grief._

 _Unforeseen consequences were born of her actions._

 _She pitied everyone's unforgivable anguish caused by her._

 _The cursed seeress who was thrown into an endless cycle of being reborn as the same soul, yet different heart._

 _The Guardian who would do anything to keep Yeul alive and be freed from his terrible curse of immortality._

 _Her champion that gave it her all to defend her soul, once a l'Cie that battled to the death of her own free will._

 _Why?_

 _Why was there consequences for every action she'd done just to aid?_

 _Her discussion with Caius that day changed not a single thing._

 _It was all a gamble._

 _Was it really her actions that changed him?_

 _Or were they Caius Ballad's himself?_

 _Was he afraid?_

 _Did the horrible thought of meeting outsiders terrify him so?_

 _Because of this 'blessing' he was rather cursed with, Caius was now living forever._

 _Endlessly._

 _It wasn't ever Etro's fault._

 _It was his. That memory from the day he almost met his termination._

 _To retain the safety of Paddra from utter ruination, he called forth Chaos Bahamut to his aid._

 _And so it begun._

 _The man to witness and only witness never dying, never meeting his end._

 _Not even death could conclude it._

 _Nothing could._

 _Or that's what Etro deemed so._

 _But it was concluded through this untold tale._

 _A tale about two similar warriors._

 _One was the alluring rose of mystery and coldness._

 _The other was the fierce storm of refusal to reality._

 _A woman who gave up her joy, happiness and love, just to be powerful for the sake of her beloved sister._

 _A man who would do anything to free him and his beloved seeress from their unbreakable, steel shackles of fate._

 _Two opposites that are yet the same._

 _They are two stubborn, unknown mysteries that still have yet to be solved._

 _An unsolved puzzle with much more pieces to still be added._

 _The many countless, unknown puzzle pieces that will eventually make up this untold destiny that was deemed impossible._

 _These two made the impossible possible._

 _Just like the old days when the alluring rose herself fought for her own free will and decided how she lived._

 _A powerful woman indeed._

 _Caius knew. He knew what she'd been through._

 _Day by day, setting his eyes upon the visions a Yeul created for him._

 _That was when he felt something for once._

 _Feelings that sparked within his suffering heart for once._

 _He would do anything he could just to end his suffering._

 _Even if it wasn't possible, Caius was strong._

 _Unlike Lightning, he never gave up._

 _He'd go to the point of being absolutely insane just to bring about the end of his suffering, even if it meant his death._

 _Even to end each Yeul's suffering._

 _But ultimately, his end was his top priority._

 _But who stood as a blockade in this strong man's intention?_

 _The rose of absolute beauty did._

 _A beautiful warrior blessed with the divine power of Etro._

 _It was quite strange, seeing the same woman who fought against destiny for what she believed in, now an adversary in his path._

 _Caius should've felt the hatred boiling within his own veins._

 _But instead, he felt the exact opposite._

 _The rose proved to be a challenge indeed._

 _Her beauty. Her compassion sparking within her._

 _A rose as beautiful and alluring as her couldn't die, nor deserved to be burdened with the curse called fate._

 _Claire pitied Caius Ballad's fate, and wished to stop fighting to comfort him._

 _Lightning hated him for what he'd do just to get what he wanted, and would do anything to get rid of him._

 _If he was to get to his goal, he had to kill her._

 _But another feeling got in the way of that._

 _It even surpassed his insanity that surged within him._

 _And Etro reminded him that day._

 _Caius in the old days was one that would give up his life for the seeress and anyone else._

 _Caius in this time cared only about the seeress and her safety._

 _Because she - they were the only ones that could be with him._

 _The only ones who had the power to mend his withering heart, yet shatter it yet again when their time is up._

 _If he wanted to know anyone else, they'd have to be like him, which was unthinkable._

 _But in Valhalla, the rules were different._

 _Death was impossible there, and he knew it._

 _One resided within the timeless realm, the precious rose._

 _But because they were fated foes, neither could get to know each other._

 _Even a fated war deemed to be eternal, could be ceased in the blink of an eye._

 _The impossible could become possible in some cases like these._

 _The rules of deities didn't always have to be followed._

 _Did Etro's talk with Caius remind him or change him that day?_

 _Who knows?_

 _Maybe it didn't do anything at all._

 _Maybe it was the Guardian himself._

 _It is but a mystery._

 _But on the final day of their endless battle, the impossible happened._

 _The foes fell in love._

 _Because Caius had no one in reality._

 _He wanted to know someone different._

 _He was with the same one for a while, even though their hearts were different._

 _In the end, all of their deaths eventually added to his suffering._

 _The thought of immortality didn't seem to exist whenever he confronted her._

 _He took the next step deemed impossible and admitted his feelings._

 _And many things happened during their long sleep of what seemed death._

 _Many more things._

 _Etro's feelings got the best of her, and she took back her heart for her own self to end his suffering._

 _And once more, as a price for interferring with time itself as the Goddess of Death, stranger consequences occured._

 _A curse was bound to the two beloved warriors, where they never aged yet they could still die._

 _A curse like immortality, where they'd have to be ended in a rather brutal way than age._

 _This was casted upon them, another unforseen consequence._

 _Many more consequences came upon the world, rather strange than heartbreaking._

 _Caius's memory had vanished, not a trace of it left._

 _All that remains within his recollection is up to the very time he fell in love with Lightning and vowed to protect her with his own heart._

 _Even though it was an unforseen consequence itself, was it good he lost memory?_

 _A chance to start over?_

 _That too, remains an unknown mystery._

 _What happens when these two warriors awaken from their dead slumber will be decided by them._

* * *

 **Valhalla**

 _The realm where death didn't exist, yet it still did. Once a bloodified battlefield for the eternal war commenced by one's grief and the other's acceptance. But now, silence only flooded the timeless realm of death itself. Because there was no longer an eternal war. That was another story, where the two fated foes overcame a fated battle where death wasn't possible._ Lifeless was the perfect word to describe the dead realm, because it was. The only sounds keeping the realm from being absolutely noiseless were those never ending waves. Like always, they'd speed as far as they could reach onto shore, and then they'd descend on back to their salty home, every second.

Valhalla was no longer a deadly battlefield; it was now simply a place for the two warriors to rest in peace now that their time was seemingly up the moment they entered their crystal slumber. That felt more right for the dead realm rather than an endless battle. They made it through their sleep of death.

 _Now was the time to awaken from their sleep._

Their monument was like it always was; a beautiful turquoise hue shrouded the two warriors, every inch of what was once flesh now thickened into a shell of pure crystal. They were seated just the same exact way for all those years in slumber; hands clenched around one another, eyes shut and on their knees. The two had those peaceful looks like always written on their faces, even though this was just another form of sleeping. A lifeless breeze swept past the crystallized warriors, doing absolutely nothing but making contact on their solid, fragile-like bodies. The atmosphere was almost like serenity itself; for once, the clouds were actually bright, if there _was a_ sun, would it truly be a sight to gape at. But of course, no sun came upon the timeless realm ever. Only lifeless clouds took on that order.

Just then, the beautiful monument of the Guardian and his beloved 'rose' was entirely engulfed into a brilliant shroud of illumination so bright anyone who lay eyes upon it would be blinded in mere seconds. It was done. What was thought to be an eternal slumber was proved wrong.

 _500 years in the dead realm. But in the real world, it was but a mere year._

The light was so shiny, and prettier than a pearl could ever be. Gradually, from the top where Caius and Lightning's heads were at, it shrouded over like a curtain of soft, untouchable crystals that were transparent. Bright light clouded and descended lower and lower like a dome over the crystallized warriors until they collided onto the rough surface made of solid stone. As beautiful as the scenery was, there was an odd sound accompanying the brilliant illumination. As the light retreated from the warriors, all of the crystal that shrouded them, even the banner-like swirls surrounding them in a circular pattern, immediately sprinkled off like ice would break in the blink of an eye. The crystal shattered into tiny microscopic particles of crystal, making it hard to believe it wasn't ice.

As the last of the crystal descended with ease on Lightning's leg, little by little, her steel, silver armor reappeared upon each and every inch on their original spots in the blink of an eye as if she hadn't ever slept in the first place. Shortly after, somehow remaining in the same position, Lightning slightly flinched and flittered her icy eyes open, the light in Valhalla reflecting off of those challenging orbs. Those beautiful eyes of determination and free will hadn't been welcomed back to the scenery of being awake for years. For some seconds, she didn't recall who she was, what she was doing, and why she was here. Right after the waking phase, however, everything snapped right back into her memory, and she remembered everything in the blink of an eye. That feeling made the woman hit a shockwave of dizziness, as she uncurled her fingers out of Caius's until they weren't even touching each other. Remaining on her knees, she rubbed her forehead in irritation, noting that Caius was still in his slumber- which rather came off as slightly hilarious to her.

His current figure was one she'd never noticed back in those years when they were still rivals and fighting of equal strength. Now that she wasn't holding his hands anymore since she had to rub her head, his muscular yet slender arms were at his sides and his head was face down, and serene snores were produced from his parted lips of tiredness. Keeping her cold composure as always, the pinkette found her armored feet, and shockingly stood with ease for someone who was sleeping in a crystal slumber for five hundred years.

 _500 years of sleep._

Now that was something anyone could gawk at. But of course, she didn't gape at that. That was how she was.

Lightning took a few steps away from Caius, her protected back facing the harmless Guardian as she gladly expanded her armored arms of grace by her sides like the wings of a fairy would spread. Gently closing her eyes from the outside world's rewarding sights after her sleep, she let out a cold, exhausted sigh as she stretched her slender yet toned arms of gracefulness as far as she could, the sensation relieving her old body that surprisingly still existed for all those lifeless years.

No, she didn't age, but she _did_ exist for that long. So yeah, she was still 21. But she _existed_ for 521 total years. Despite her age, Lightning still existed much, much longer than those she knew. (Except for Fang and Vanille, of course.)

After her brief stretch of relief, she once again opened those orbs of coldness, resting their sight on the rather beautiful, bright clouds that shrouded the ruins and lifeless atmosphere of absolute serenity. Just when the rose haired warrior was about to hear another breath of calmness echo within her sensitive ears, Caius's snores gladly tainted them, causing her to flinch and spin her eyes right back on him. She barely caught her balance back after her sudden shock and spin all at once. Setting her gauntlet upon her metal, steel and unbreakable breastplate forged by Etro's divine magic itself, she let out a small exhale into the dead air as she remembered those memories before falling into that dreamless sleep with him. And she eventually regretted that she decided to.

 _She didn't kiss him, nor did she desire to. That was all of Caius himself. It was so sudden, but surprisingly, also felt so... refreshing and... so alluring._

 _Now the thought came back as clear as a pearl._

 _Her head was tilted at the sudden sensation that surprisingly tickled her entire body and-_

"...Lightning?"

The warrior nearly gasped upon recognizing the voice of her now fully awake enemy- no, _friend...?_ Instantly sapped from her private, shocking thoughts, the pinkette hastily focused her gaze upon Caius, wiping away the thoughts in a flash. He never ever called her by that. After rubbing a temple with his rough hand in an irritated-like manner, a calm, kind smile took over his lips for once. Would the thought of even creating that smirk again that he did years ago come back to him? Most likely not.

The Guardian gladly found his feet, and before Lightning could even whisper a calm 'Hello', his slender arms gracefully wrapped her up into a calm, warm and loving embrace. The sensation was so warm, and even his own skin evened the odds by gladly warming the coldness that lurked both in her thoughts and on her snowy, delicate skin.

 _"So warm..."_ Lightning softly mused, closing her eyelids halfway as she rested her hands and head gladly upon Caius's warm, armored chest.

After a few seconds, he gradually unwrapped his arms and set his hands upon the cold woman's shoulders, a face of concern easily visible as Lightning's eyes expanded instantly in somewhat bewilderment. "Caius?" She asked, spotting his dumbfounded expression with ease, the tone of her voice sounding the same as always. Caius gradually blinked, violet hues of power meeting her icy ones of beauty. After those mere, brief seconds, his eyes hastily looked down and a faint frown spread across his lips.

Lightning never saw the man troubled ever before, and she worriedly inquired if he was alright. His response even sent a chill of discomfort spiraling down her own spine, the words echoing lifelessly within her head of her own troubles.

 _His memory was only retained to the point where he expressed his feelings for Lightning Farron._

 _Yeul no longer existed, at least, not within his memories, that is._

 _And now the two have awakened, to finish the upcoming pages of the fate of this world._

 _Two warriors have now finally met the untold fate that awaited them._

 _The fate of being together to the end, and how their eventual trust will determine if they really are the ones fated to save the future- a future Noel and Serah tried their best to protect._

* * *

 **A/N: Yaaay! Finally beginning the sequel to my first fan fiction released to public! Anyway, yes I've taken time to plan out things in this story. I was pretty tired when I published this, so we'll say only the prologue for now. It won't be long till I send the first chapter, maybe a day from now... depends. Anyway, it's very important you've read the two previous stories before this. Don't want confusion spreading out instantly. The cover for this story, yeah I wrote the text myself. And, heads up, this is pretty different from what you'd expect from a Caius x Lightning fic... well, it depends what you think. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed, and please do review if you'd like to!~**


	2. Departed Memories

**01 - Departed Memories**

"A vast part in my memory has been discarded."

Caius's words came in sync with the incoming breezes that swept past the two of them, lifting their locks of rose and violet within the flow of wind. Lightning blinked, processing the information she'd just received that almost sounded unbelievable. Walking a few feet away from the woman, Caius silently shifted his once angry violet hues of violence and focused them upon the beautiful, vast sight above them; the clouds that were now bright, and he didn't find it one bit unusual. As he continuously rested his piercing gaze upon those clouds, a worried look for himself taking over, he inquisitively asked in a rather polite tone, "What about you, my _warrior goddess?"_

Immediately sapped out of her thoughts of sympathy for the old, once immortal man, Lightning slapped her hand (Which still had a gauntlet!) upon a snowy, pale cheek which belonged to her. Something felt wrong, as she arched an eyebrow in curiosity and a dumbfounded expression invaded her default look.

 _"My warrior goddess...?"_

Slipping her hand off of her thin, puffy cheek, Lightning thought of nothing but the name that her former adversary had delivered as a complement to her instead of a nickname, as she threw out everything surrounding her and thought of nothing more than the name. It echoed like the lifeless drops of water produced by a faucet within her ears. The pinkette thought of nobody or anything but her thoughts, even going as far as shoving Caius's presence out of them. Did she... like the name? Why had it sent her back into her little hut of thoughts scrambled within her head? She shook her head in pure disappointment at herself, surprised she nearly thanked him for actually speaking those words, entirely truthful to her. No one ever complemented her because of how terribly solitary she was, with or without Serah. And it was obvious enough, even if she was never dragged into Valhalla in the first place. For a mere, ticking second, the cold woman wondered who she could've been in the first place... how greatly joyful she could've been if she was never cold or strong. But then, she remembered as fast as a an agile archer; she'd always have to be stuck to being strong, so powerful, never ever being a frail woman for one second after that terrifying night her mother died when she was only fifteen.

Remembering that stinging memory sent another cold, piercing chill descending within her own spine as reality fought its way back into her mind. With a rather powerful shake caused by her head and neck, the surroundings around her became clear again, and she noticed Caius staring over his shoulder in bewilderment, an arched eyebrow barely visible throughout his rough bangs that usually (Like Lightning's...) covered nearly a half of his upper left part upon his tan face, which on some occasions, even cheerfully tickled his cheeks below them playfully. "Lightning?" He broke the peaceful silence as the pinkette once more fell into thought, realizing he asked her a question which she sort of ignored because her thoughts got the best of her eventually.

 _Did she remember?_ Yes, as a matter fact, she remembered everything precisely and as clean and sturdy as her own sword gifted by Etro herself. Just as she was about to break out the truth to the clueless man, a voice that hissed within her mind halted her right where she was at. _"Come on, Lightning!"_ A cheerful voice sounded within her head, seemingly bubbly and playful... almost exactly on target from when she sounded like a kid... except one thing was off. Lightning _never_ behaved or sounded so... playful and cheery... not at all. But her voice sounded like it desperately wanted to... almost as if it threw plead by plead for the solitary woman to actually sound so... joyful and entirely happy for once.

But, of course, Lightning vowed to give up _everything_ that made her a weak, feeble maiden that needed to be rescued or helped. And it only led to the icy, solitary exterior created by only by her actions. Nothing was wrong with being powerful and unstoppable for Serah, and she was firm with that.

But one thing was certain; this _was_ her voice, back when she was a child; a harmless, warming voice that seemingly almost exemplified what joy was itself. Even at young age, before she chose to be solid for Serah, she was still... a tough case to be solved. She lost the path to... curl up those lips into a smile of pure happiness... She was adrift within the sea of cursed thoughts, and so only spotted the other path her own mind compelled her to follow; the path to coldness, where little of that 'warm' feeling called 'joy' existed.

Just then, whether it was herself or time itself desired, the humming of time came to a pause; everything, the humming of the wind concluded, Caius's body was as stiff and frozen like an infinite statue, which never blinked or shifted once; _lifeless,_ _with no blood gushing within his veins._ The humming of life's course abruptly came to a stinging pause all too soon, and Lightning couldn't help but shiver in fright; on the _inside,_ that is. Shielding Claire like she'd always do with her mysterious masks of coldness, Lightning kept her cool composure. She gingerly blinked, feeling the perspiration creep its way down her body just underneath her armor, the sensation feeling like uninvited slithering snakes within her as she began shutting out fright and paralyzation all at once in a mere passing second.

The eerie silence clouded her sensitive ears with little to no difficultly, as everything in the dead realm became much more ghostly than before; even the compelling waves of darkness were deemed to cease, unable to complete the incoming wave it endeavored with all of its might to form, as there would only need to be mere seconds more until they'd get to collide onto the lifeless sands of the realm. They were instead so close yet so far from achieving their goal.

Lightning inhaled the senseless air of death, and no later had she realized it was a _different lifeless_ scent she just breathed through her detecting nostrils, had that tingling, jiggling yet sinister voice returned within her complex thoughts.

 _"Who the hell are you?"_ She inquired within her mind in a stoic, piercing tone in an attempt to dispatch this uninvited guest that thought her mind was, in its stance, a playground to toy around with her.

The child-like voice she once was in possession of long ago chortled in a frisky manner, amused at the words she spat out within her own mind.

Lightning didn't know at all who this stranger was, but one thing was indubitable: this unknown figure had the power to march straight into one's mind whenever they craved to.

 _"Why do you ask, ice queen of coldness? Why do you care about me? Don't you shut out everyone?"_ She teased in a playful yet greatly supported way, her voice darkening in seriousness.

Nearly dumbfounded by the recently dispatched comeback, Lightning threw a knuckle upon her hip in reality, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. She inquired in the same tone, the same words and same mood, feeling the piercing feeling of agitation slightly creeping its way into her thoughts, where everything secret to her and only to her resided at.

 _"Tee-hee!"_ She snickered through joy, enjoying her little game that satisfied her needs of pleasure. _"Think about it though, Light! You don't wish to prolong his suffering, right?"_

Lightning's frozen orbs widened in shock. How did this outsider know about her and Caius? Things between them were never remarked anywhere else but in Valhalla. Then again; if this so-called _stranger_ had the power to whisper and hiss within one's thoughts, it shouldn't have been a surprise in the first place. Whoever was chatting within her mind evidently wasn't a normal being, not to her surprise as she and Caius, too, were just as supernatural, with their god-like powers Etro blessed or cursed upon them.

And she _didn't_ want to prolong his suffering, and on her own intuition, she knew exactly what she meant when this outsider mentioned it.

Lightning froze, rather intrigued on hearing this, slowly coming to the eventual conclusion that maybe _Caius needn't know at all what he suffered through._

Even so, doubt instantly crowded her mind in a shroud, trying to compel her to tell everything Caius had long forgotten.

That led to a long conflict within her own common sense; telling him or... lie to him.

And just like the words spoken by the stranger herself, had she not chosen wisely, only then would Caius's mental suffering resume to lead to only worse thing.

As she took another inhale of dead air, the hum of life continued gush onward as Valhalla's normal lifeless winds chimed in gracefulness, and Caius twirled around to face her eyes of concern and bewilderment, moving side to side, and then finally locked their cooling gaze upon him.

With a swift blink, the pinkette hastily stared down, her eyes hurriedly averting his violet, calm ones that used to, five hundred years ago, glow a menacing crimson whenever he wished to alter into the deadly Chaos Bahamut itself.

 _"He's not gonna suffer anymore. Caius... he doesn't deserve to hear those hellish memories."_

Clearing her mind of doubt for just this one moment, Lightning stared up at the towering man before her, breathing as she gained the chance to have final thoughts on her eventual conclusion.

"I... don't remember anything." Her throat was dry as she feigned hastily, part of herself hating her at her desired end.

 _"I... lied. But even so... he'll have to figure out sooner or later..."_ She whispered within her head of privacy, hating herself.

Lightning hated herself- _absolutely disgusted at her nasty lie._ She literally wished she could rewind time to tell him the truth hard and clear- yet at the same time, she desired to give the poor Guardian a respite from his horrible past filled with a girl he'd do anything for- and the madman he once was. It almost seemed like an opportunity to know or see what Caius would be like if... he never went insane or ever was the Guardian in the first place.

Still, she had no idea if she did the right thing or not- but either way, she _was_ going to see how normal he could truthfully be. Moving from the troublesome thoughts to avoid upcoming, countless doubts, Lightning thought about the kiss he suddenly planted upon her own glossy, rosy lips.

She rolled her cold hues at the thought, having actually no trouble to hide an upcoming blush.

Didn't Caius know about... taking time to know one another? The man he was years ago wasn't the same due to memory loss, but those same feelings were kept. Of course, she wasn't just going to let him carelessly kiss her greedily. They had to know each other more! From here on, she would call him out as 'partner' than 'enemy'. It felt quite strange at first, what with him being her former opponent and such.

After her cold, quick response that rather occurred in a flash, Caius let out a soft sigh of unsureness, noting for himself they both had no memory other than the fact they were good friends and he still kept memories of the various locales he'd been through when he got in Noel and Serah's way.

"I see." He breathed hesitantly, removing himself from the thoughts that dared to swallow him within thinking.

Lightning silently clapped her armored fingers together, deciding to alter the subject as solemn looks lifelessly crept up the two warriors' faces.

"Caius... don't you feel..." She hesitated, struggling to keep her shiny lips parted as her armor produced its usual metal claps that concluded most of the silence.

"...different?" She concluded, feeling a new sort of energy surge its way throughout her own body. Following Lightning's statement that didn't even sound like a question in the tiniest bit, Caius wordlessly and curiously lifted a hand up in response to the pinkette.

Suddenly, he wished he hadn't done that. A powerful, amethyst hued energy emitted from the palm onto his rough fingertips, the power surging through his veins within the arm itself.

Before the two could react to the sudden event, everything went blind; the surroundings of the dead realm grew fainter and fainter until everything was bright and only light was seen.

In the blink of an eye, where the shroud of light surrounded them, was replaced with only lifeless air- meaning, Lightning and Caius were gone. Only brief moments after peaceful silence, footsteps echoed near the duo's previous location and stopped before there, noticing a thin, untouchable crystal that hovered from the grounds of the dead realm, produced by the new transportation spell Caius commenced only moments ago. The figure was a girl- shadowed and covered by the darkened shadows that returned to the dead atmosphere, the clouds changing back to their usual grey hue.

A smirk crept its way upon her shiny lips as she clasped her palms and fingertips in sync, watching the dancing crystal as it circled around an infinite amount of times each second.

"Oh... she's _defiantly_ going to regret her decision!" She tittered joyfully to herself, feeling smug for the act and role she played in Lightning's mind. She removed her hands from each other and dropped them carelessly to her sides, until using one to grasp the floating shard of illumination that was dancing in front of her face.

Clicking her tongue teasingly, she scolded to herself at Lightning's actions, having her own goals set for herself.

She grinned, enthusiasm awaiting her as she laughed, wondering how terribly guilty Lightning would feel like for choosing the wrong actions.

"How _horrible_ that poor Guardian's going to feel for nearly committing the ultimate sin!~" She chortled to herself joyfully before taking off in a swirl of Chaos, banners of darkness surrounding her like a twirler's until she was no longer visible with a last chuckle of amusement. Valhalla quickly regained its beautiful, serene atmosphere again, remaining only inhabited by the Goddess.

* * *

 **A/N: So... yep. There's a new person. You'll figure out who she is soon. And... wow. I updated fast! And on that note, happy 4th of July! X3~**


	3. Homecoming - Part 1

**02 - Homecoming - Part I**

 _Breathe._

Mustering herself to wake up and resisting the urge to stay asleep after the unexpected event Caius mistakenly caused on accident, Lightning's eyelids fought through the darkness to see the light of the world once again. Feeling a warm compress on her awfully drenched, cold skin, her eyelids at last flittered open, revealing the beautiful, vast sight of a sapphire-blue sky of beauty. The female warrior unhurriedly shifted her eyes downward to see her current state- noticing her newly-soaked armor and sash of white, heavenly feathers as they played around in sync with the rhythms produced by the shifting waves of salty liquid, as they danced side to side when they were underneath the blanket of water, yet looked perfectly normal when they were briefly afloat it.

Upon notice, the pinkette's curious nostrils also inhaled the uneasy scent of salt that surrounded her. "Ugh... ngh..." Grunts slowly found their way out from her glossy separated lips as she remained within the salty sea's grasp, the shore only some mere inches from her resting place where she lay on her armored back, floating upon the wet, sour yet clear waters.

 _Is this... Valhalla? No..._ She wondered within her head, powerlessly resting upon the ocean's surface because her muscles refused to get their gears spinning full of life and energy once more like they used to countless years ago when she fought endlessly for Etro's sake.

Lightning never felt more feeble and impotent than ever in her life. Adrift in the calm, brushing waves that collided on the shore she was near, she wondered if Caius himself was fine. He _was_ the one who was the first to demonstrate their newly gifted powers they were still unskilled and entirely clueless with. _Etro must've offered us these new... abilities. But why...?_ She thought nonchalantly, keeping a firm composure despite the fact she had not a single clue where she now at.

Just then, she immediately decided to gather enough hints and information to see which era she unwillingly was thrown into. If there was one thing the rose haired woman already knew, it was the fact she definitely wasn't in the dead realm anymore, because that familiar scent of death and lifelessness wasn't inhaled precisely through her clear, detecting nostrils as she sighed in exhaustion, unable to regain her strength to pull herself up upon the shore.

Her eyelids half shut in tiredness, Lightning focused her chilling gaze on the clouds that barely shifted across the vast skies, almost as if they stalked her soul residing within herself in a rather positive way, urging her to reach out for them. _Definitely not Valhalla..._ Only then did she recognize the familiar atmosphere she was now engulfed in, did two strong slender arms find her snowy thighs and armored back of defense.

Nearly flinching at the sudden sensation that sent her heart beating at a much faster pace, Lightning's eyelids hastily unrolled only to see the violet haired warrior's studying her own. Looking at the current situation, it was now clear enough Caius ended up in the same locale as her. And looking at the current form formed by only them, she realized she was in his arms, one hand resting on his thick, rather well-toned torso. (That was still covered by his armor.) Surprisingly, her azure orbs _actually_ widened at that sudden touch, although she did her best to hide expressions that rarely came through her stubborn cold exterior.

But now they were companions, now erstwhile opponents, and only she had to remind herself of that. Silently shaking her head in the smallest way possible to shoo the sudden warmth that once congested her thoughts, Lightning promptly thought about Caius- _everything of him._ From the very day in Valhalla when their orbs of unending grief met one another and declared war for the very ones they swore to preserve until the end of time, to now, how they were companions and earned each other's trust- through a kiss he hurriedly planted upon her own lips.

So why did a tiny, intruding yet bothersome feeling of uncertainty cling so tightly to her heart that should've been cleaned from that feeling? Caius lost the inescapable memories of the insanity-like yet reasonable man he was years ago, and Lightning herself, caring greatly for him, felt precisely that an obstinate yet strong, hopeful man like him didn't deserve to hear those memories once again, bringing nothing but pure, cruel, cold-blooded torment surging once more of distress within his now freshly cleaned mind.

She wanted to believe she chose the right option, but the 'other' side of her feelings, hidden within her exterior, the 'Claire' part, always rebuked at her actions for what she had done- actions that, she believed in the end, would only worsen his misery than if she actually told him the truth in the swift second he inquired her about that back then.

But now, that one and only chance was gone, and Lightning knew she wouldn't be getting it back anytime soon.

Quickly shaking away her thoughts, she left her mind world and raced back to the world of reality, barely catching Caius's sudden and fleeting question if she was alright.

The two warrior's bodies were both tickled by the soft yet rushing winds that danced past them, ruffling their hairs into their own height as they themselves blinked- rather simultaneously. The brief winds that should've left a warm feeling within their hearts did nothing to help them, for they rather sent a cold, unforgettable sensation of chillness on Caius and Lightning's drenched, sensitive skin, not surprisingly since they were both practically blanketed with the saline water's liquid.

Lightning calmly nodded in response to the tall yet slender man that still cradled her smaller body, warmness generating from his masculine arms.

Within Caius's mind that had been discarded of his nightmare-fueled memories caused by Etro's hand, a sudden, powerful energy emerged within the core of his recollection.

Caius blinked, being sapped into the state of oblivion all too quickly, as his eyes unwillingly altered to a pure dark hue, collapsing on his knees in the water, forcing the clueless woman to find her way out of his arms and worriedly ask many times if he was alright.

"Caius, answer me!" She tried to keep her voice down yet she couldn't help but let out a cry of vexation and worry at once that fled her mouth.

 _I need to get a grip..._ Biting her tongue with a ferocious clamp of her teeth, she recaptured her self control and slowed her thoughts to a steady, reasonable pace, her face instantly transforming back to her usual one; calm, and keeping a solid grasp on the situation at hand.

As the salty waters slapped upon their bodies with frail force near the shore, Lightning decided to haul him upon the awaiting land. All the while, anxiety found its way spinning down her bones and flesh altogether, as she questioned through thoughts if Caius was fine, keeping her sight locked on the shore below her wet, armored feet. Building strength within her arms, she, for one last time out of many, grabbed his upper limbs again and yanked the huge man upon shore, greeted by a familiar sight that almost forced her lips into a smile.

The buildings of all hues expanded on both the kind sands and that typical boardwalk above both land and water- splitting in all sorts of directions at every turn. The inhabitants bustled with joy, as if no fear or any other negative emotions broke their positive spirit. Looking closer, Lightning was immediately aware of the fact that nobody bothered to set their attention to them. In short words, Lightning and Caius simply appeared like helpless castaways, as everyone was either on the boardwalk, dead clueless or inside their residence, enjoying the warm feeling of being home and safe from harm. No one remained on the beach and bothered to catch sight of them.

It was a world even Lightning hadn't lost precious memories of, from her awing journey of fighting destiny with her unforgettable five companions, concluding with Fang and Vanille's absolute sacrifice so humanity could finally do what they entirely believed what was right.

A world once ruled by the mighty fal'Cie created by Gods' own hands. A world Lightning hadn't felt the positivity of in an eternity. A world that she could only observe from the eerily silent realm of Valhalla. A world where a young woman, filled with unforgettable resolve and beauty had been forgotten four years ago. A world where a year had only passed, while five hundred years passed within her and Caius's dark slumber. A world she could finally see the light and day of once again, engulfed with never ending troubles to overcome with hope, compassion and reason.

Since no one noticed the duo, Lightning dropped onto her knees beside her fallen partner, gently caressing his thin temples with both hands, one on each side, eyelids half opened as she patiently awaited his eventual awakening. (At least, with hope.)

* * *

The clueless man had been whisked away into the difficult-to escape grasp of his long forgotten memories even though he never wished to be in the first place.

 _"Caius... I need you... more than anything in the world. Please..."_

The sudden orals were produced by a juvenile girl's voice, and Caius knew it.

"Where are you? If you need me, where do you seek my assistance?" He asked, almost rotating his amethyst hues in pure vexation, terribly oblivious to whoever this girl was.

Wisps of chaos crept into the cold, desolate atmosphere that soon formed into an illusion of a dark, uncanny room with squared tiles of black and white- a circular room with curtains staining the walls with crimson all around, no matter where he turned to see a different color for once.

Even more chaos decided to slither through the silent whistling drapery of the darkening scarlet shade, which caught Caius's detecting glare- his expression somber, as he did indeed recognize the substance upon instinct and notice. The very presence of chaos should've drowned him effortlessly into the state of turmoil and agitation, but Caius knew all too well how to wield the puzzling, dangerous feeling or whatever it was, gaining it's natural source from grief and unending woe.

Chaos was something indescribable, something beyond human comprehension. It was a force that could only yield to Caius Ballad's strength, because Etro deemed so. And despite much of the amnesia that sucked him clean of _most_ precious yet dreadful memories that threatened to haunt him for an eternity, the nasty, unknown power of chaos was one of the few things he managed to actually recall.

Caius grit his teeth to the point where he could gnaw aluminum with ease- whipping out his blade about his size, vibrant with its own chaos residing within it.

He sensed something he shouldn't have sensed- an ominous presence, the being itself having the same powers to control the catastrophic, mysterious power that still had an unknown purpose in the world.

"Who lurks within the shades of chaos?" He growled menacingly, the question sounding more of a statement as his eyebrows slowly knitted together and lips formed into a scowl. Using his unoccupied hand, he snapped cleverly, the powers of chaos coming to life and vigorous upon his instruction.

Caius wasn't deaf or blind. He could easily detect another person's presence upon natural instinct.

The dark hues of chaos emitting from his fingertips and palm, Caius released dark, thin vines made of chaos itself, wrapping the figure who hid within the immense amount of darkness created by the same source.

The figure was someone hooded, their dark robes lengthy as the vines looped themselves tightly around them, forcing them to grunt in resistance, as they struggled to break free. Caius smirked, watching the victim hopelessly scuffle about through the tight bounds.

"Ugh... seems like you're more advanced with chaos than anyone could ever imagine." Only then was it revealed to be another young voice- the cheery voice of a girl, who mistakenly bit her tongue at the end of her statement because of the way she kicked her legs outward and flailed back and forth- all a mere attempt to escape his grasp.

Caius's smirk faded to an eventual expression of suspicion, as he commanded the vines to bring this mysterious female closer to him- one merciless tendril compressing her visible, fluffy cheeks of paleness.

"...Stop that!" She roared, flailing even more wildly, producing harmless wind that brushed upon Caius's face as he narrowed his eyes at her glossy lips that were also visible. The upper part of her face was shadowed by the hood's command.

"You are not the same one who briefly chatted with me." he realized, his expression softening. The girl's shiny lips formed to a smile- one filled with hidden, troubling intentions. Upon notice, Caius blinked moments before shifting his gaze to his feet's location- tendrils secretively looping themselves around each boot, making him lose concentration easily as the girl effortlessly found her way out of his vines.

Landing with perfection on her feet, she chuckled gleefully, amused by Caius, who was now the one struggling to escape the thick vines that, even now, wrapped around his separated arms.

With rough grunts spilling out from his throat, Caius focused his troubled gaze upon her, who merely enjoyed the show she put up in the first place.

"You've got sharp eyes." She teased, trotting in circles- her sleeved, petite dark arms at her sides as she lifted a leg at an obtuse angle respectively each time she took a step.

Caius arched an eyebrow; "Why do you intrude upon my personal thoughts?"

That got her to stop walking strangely as she stopped right in the middle, glued her feet together, balled her fists for no reason, and giggled before responding joyfully; "Uh, hello? It's a power I've been blessed with. And I'm awfully impressed with the way you commanded the unseen chaos!" After her sentence that was followed by mocking laughter, even more darkness flooded the room of treachery and grimness all at once.

Scowling in annoyance, Caius stomped his foot, despite the overlapping vines that weighed him down. It was only a quick second before all of the twined vines vanished into chaos that added into the atmosphere of darkness.

"Ya know... you're not so terrifying now." She continued, vanishing out of plain sight. Mercilessly tightening his grip upon his enormous blade, a violet, unstable radiation guided Caius's sight through the active darkness within the small room, as banners of chaos commenced powerful winds and attempted an infinite amount times to thrash at him harmlessly. "You've lost all of your horrid memories now, so no matter how menacing," Caius whirled around to only see another clump of chaos expand, the undying power feeding off of his loneliness and lost grief that he once remembered. "... or dangerous you pretend to be, you are nothing without those _beloved_ memories."

For a moment, Caius almost felt hurt, and strangely enough, it felt as if though he'd felt that negative emotion millions of times. The Guardian narrowed his eyes in in confusion- curious of this girl who seemed to do well in making others suffer without even trying.

"Wow... such a letdown. You vowed to protect _her_ for eternity, and you gave her up for a warrior because you couldn't resist _her_ charms of resolution." She seemed glad to announce that, although her voice darkened in grimness. Noting her sudden change in demeanor, Caius tried his best to ignore every word that came out from her, but _that_ feeling of the grief he once remembered kept pinching him to listen even so.

"I mean... I guess it _really_ made perfect sense, didn't it, Ballad?"

She really _knew_ well about him, and it became obnoxious yet truthful to Caius although he didn't recall most things, he did feel exactly like that; some guilt pushing him down from something he decided long ago.

Just then, Caius's eyes widened in realization; _he desperately needed to escape this place- an illusion where torment would gladly welcome him._

Yes, there were still many unanswered questions that fell from this strange person, but...

He needed to leave and see the light of the world again. He'd never admit that out loud, but for some reason, that was just how he felt. The old Caius from many years ago was different- he was _used_ to being isolated- as if it were a trait that was just a part of him.

The girl's young laughter polluted the winds made of chaos, darkening the chaos continuously second by second.

 **"Release me this instant!"** He shrieked as loud as his vocals would allow him to, the chaos slowly swallowing him with never ending darkness.

 _"Caius... I can't live without you."_ The other young, silent voice rung within the consuming, great power.

At this point, Caius would do _anything_ to escape this horrible nightmare- even killing himself, or just getting swallowed by the very power that consumed him.

 _"Yeah... that's right,"_ he thought, keeping his cool as the chaos gradually reached his collarbone- his breathing becoming more intense as his lungs desperately longed for air.

 _"It's all a dream..."_ Caius closed his eyes, allowing the sea of darkness to finally devour him until no hope was left within the unforgettable nightmare.

* * *

Eventually, his eyes once more found the sight of the beloved woman he missed just the beautiful sight of. The sinister laughter of that girl now resided within his mind no matter how much he tried to forget it.

Lightning's gaze of sympathy locked within his troubled one as she helped the taller man up. As he stared at her, a painful headache found his head, and he abruptly rubbed it in irritation. "... What happened?" He asked coldly, the sand crushing beneath his boots.

"You went out when we arrived..." Lightning sighed and presented Caius to the bustling sea town they had recently found; "... to New Bodhum." She finished, a worried look churned with unhappiness upon her features.

Before Caius could inform the concerned woman about his recent, terrible memories, two loud screams disturbed the peaceful atmosphere of the sea town- two voices that sounded familiar to the duo.

Hastily, Caius and Lightning twirled to the source of the screams- a portal that expanded within seconds through the sky that altered to a slightly violet hue, catching the attention of clueless Bodhum residents. Upon notice, the gateway from another time vaporized within the air and both a female and a male figure respectively descended through the merciless winds. Tailing them was a moogle, anxiously crying, **"Serah! KUPO!"** so loud everyone, including Lightning and Caius, heard it without trying.

The realization impaled their attention with ease; "Serah!" Lightning cried simultaneously with Caius who rather cried; "Noel!"

Without thinking or another word, Lightning, resembling light and Caius resembling darkness itself, leapt into action. Caius quickly transformed into Chaos Bahamut, who surprisingly still remembered how to merge with his Eidolon. It took lots of might to _not_ sweep Lightning off her feet from the usual impact like the old days in Valhalla, (Which he didn't recall) when a big outburst could possibly devastate the town.

Medium-strong winds were all that Lightning felt, sweeping her sash of feathers and messy bangs within its powerful gush, but she managed to plant her feet into the sands. As Chaos Bahamut took Caius's place, everything, from its wings to its armor a night hue, resembled the mighty darkness and negativity of chaos. It changed to its alternate form so the knight could bestride it. Without thinking, Lightning rushed like the wind- her legs as nimble as usual. With a hop and a step, she was in battle stance in riding position.

With a signal by a quiet _step_ from her, Chaos Bahamut was off with the unlikely warrior steering it- a warrior of _light._ Mustering the power of chaos- its fuel, Chaos Bahamut easily gained speed, sharp eyes upon the falling pinkette with a ponytail and the brunette.

In the middle of their unlikely perish and screams, Noel yelled to his companion; "Serah, how do you feel about this?!"

As Noel's stomach unpleasantly churned with acid and other revolting things, Serah answered followed by a scream; "It's horrifying but also refreshing!" She replied without thoughts, the ground of the world gradually growing and growing as they plummeted helplessly.

The winds continued to increase fiercely, and as soon as the two thought they met their doom-

 _Swoop!_

Both of their bodies collided on top of the rough armor of Chaos Bahamut, just behind the former guardian of the goddess. Upon realizing the Bahamut that was ridden, Noel quickly found his feet- the sight of Lightning riding her former adversary making him unsure whether to scowl or not. "You- Lightning!" He stuttered, causing Serah to fall into a state of bewilderment, as she sat on her knees, almost gasping upon sight of her sister that she hadn't seen in three years, Mog hiding behind her back, shivering in the same feelings.

"What are you-" He hesitated, balling his fists to the point of possibly breaking the bones that made up their structure.

Noel just couldn't bring himself to throw out the words from his own lips, as Lightning turned halfway to fix a sharp glare of seriousness upon his that flooded with rage.

Serah was the only one confused, entirely uninformed on the topic at hand.

Chaos Bahamut stared at the vast sight below them- the astonished stares of New Bodhum's residents causing him to falter as he shifted on the side. As for Serah, she was too awed to even speak, the very sight of her intelligent sister that would do anything to safeguard her, shocking her permanently down her spine.

Before Noel could bring himself to say even another word, the Bahamut landed out of the public's sight where he could transform back without witnesses. Upon the rough landing, Serah stumbled to her feet speechlessly, Mog's soft, flat-feeling face gently colliding with her thin back. Lightning easily kept her posture as the time-traveler duo squirmed to their feet after their short fall. After dismounting the deadly beast, it was engulfed in harsh steams of clouds- a seemingly lethal violet that disgusted Noel's eyes.

As the clouds fell eerily silent and faded within the airs of the town, the slender man clad in dark armor stepped out with not a single flinch, his rather cold gaze meeting his former apprentice- another one of the few things he managed to remember as well.

Those memories smoldering within the brunette's head, he unexpectedly drew his javelin and blade out, aiming them mercilessly at Lightning and Caius- two unlikely companions that were set forth by Etro's own hand.

"Noel...!" Serah gasped in disbelief as she rushed in to halt him, only to be stopped by a precise blade at her midriff section, dangerously close from cutting her entirely in half. Her sapphire hues expanding at the sudden action, she traced her gaze from the sword blocking her, to his arms and eventually his face of pure exasperation.

"Don't you dare lay a threatening finger on her." Lightning said coldly before realizing it was just to stop her sister from interfering. Sighing in an attempt to cool his nerves, Noel quickly lowered the sharp weapon and turned to her, dark blue eyes of sorrow at his earlier action.

"Noel... why..." Serah hesitated, her worried gaze focusing on the grounds below them as Mog whispered a concerned "Kupo?" to her.

As her bangs covered her stressful glare, Serah balled her fists in absolute vexation; "What's going on...?" There wasn't even a slight hint of question etched in her troubled voice, as everyone set their attention upon Serah. "Lightning's here, there's a man I don't even know that you must hate..." Serah clutched her temples, lifting her expression of difficulty to all of them.

Knowing her sister was the only one unaware of the events going on, a soft smile crossed Lightning's lips as she walked toward her sister. She easily met Serah's uncertain eyes- the younger Farron tracing the silver, light armor she surprisingly still wore even though she wasn't Etro's knight. "Is that _really_ you, sis?" As if she didn't deserve to look her in the eye, Serah faced downwards in awe. Was this really the Lightning fighting in Valhalla? Her real sister that was removed from history? The only one she remembered on the bright emerald fields on Gran Pulse?

Lightning's smile grew- something that rarely happened when it came to interacting with others. She stretched an arm out to comfort her younger sister, setting a soft fingertip on her chin in hopes to see her beautiful glare. What greeted Lightning's smile was a concerned glare from her own sister instead.

"... _Claire?"_ She whispered like a frail little girl.

Knowing this was 'sister' business, Caius and Noel shifted their attention away from the Farrons, putting their minds at rest.

With a small chuckle, Lightning answered without rushing in a more kind tone, "Yes, it's me Serah. You've grown so well; I don't even know what to say..."

For some seconds without registering the fact she gawked, Serah desperately tried to grin, but she could feel salty tears threatening to break at any moment. This _was_ her sister. The reason she began her journey that only lasted for a bit, while she slept away the years in Valhalla.

A tear secretly sliding off her thin cheek, Serah shut her eyes in a weak attempt to hide the crying because she was indeed growing up.

Wrapping her sister in a warm, comfortable hug despite her armor, Lightning gently rested her sister's head on her shoulder, patting her back. "It's all right. Let it all out, Serah." She breathed nonchalantly, her beautiful smile only visible to her sister. As Serah's soft sobs ended the silence within the breezes, both Caius and Noel easily noticed the oldest Farron's quick change in demeanor, a surge of curiosity gushing within their minds.

It felt like several years of never seeing her sister. _Four_ _years of people believing Lightning Farron was dead, within the pillar of Cocoon, with Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang._

It was hopeless. No matter how many times she complained she _knew_ Lightning was alive and with them on Pulse, no one believed her, other than Snow. Now she could prove them wrong, but even so, she had to take time and figure out what happened to her dear sister. As for Lightning, she knew a big risk she caused just to see her sister. She would do _anything_ possible just to be with her one last time, even sending her through the timeline until she, by a low chance, luckily dropped in Valhalla.

But now there was no need to put her sister through more troubles. Frankly, she didn't wish to, but she had seen how she and Noel stopped Atlas together and saved New Bodhum.

Ending their sisterly hug, Lightning set a hand upon her shoulder, her smile fading to a smaller one. "It's been so long..." Serah finally grinned, wiping away her tears and opening her eyes to her beloved sibling. "Serah... I'm terribly sorry for putting you through the time travel business. But I'm proud at what you've accomplished in such little time; fixing a few paradoxes and saving people in danger." She murmured softly.

"I wasn't sure if Noel told me truth, but I took the gamble anyway. I did it all just to see you... again."

"And I'm glad you did. Even if it was uncertain, you _did_ do it anyway just to see me after all these years. Serah... I apologize for the trouble you experienced just to do that."

The younger Farron chuckled; "Don't be! I'm a big, mean teacher that's grown!"

The two sisters giggled to each other in happiness. Finally. _Finally_ , after such a long time, they were reunited. Both Caius and Noel understood how long it had been during their separation, and how finally being together once more filled their hearts with endless joy.

"You're grown, just like me." Lightning mumbled before changing back to her usual cold self- lips straight as she turned back to the other two.

Approaching Noel, she knew there was tons of things to explain to him and Serah.

Caius came next to his partner, setting a hand on her pauldron as they exchanged unsure glances, as Serah came next to Noel.

"Let's head home before we talk about anything else." Lightning concluded uncertainly as she pointed to the house of not only Serah's, but also the eccentric members of NORA.

* * *

 **A/N: The adventure hasn't started yet, but it will soon!**


	4. Homecoming - Part 2

**03 - Homecoming - Part II**

As they approached the vicinity of NORA house, Noel would frequently shoot the scowl of anger at Caius, who kept a firm recollection of the young boy he trained to become the next Guardian of some girl, to him.

On their temporary stroll of Serah also shooting suspicious glances at the former madman, Lightning whispered to her and Noel that she would explain _every_ detail that was going on. If there was one thing the older Farron was going to keep private, it would _defiantly_ be the fact that he kissed her for three minutes straight and fell in love with her rather soon.

Every once in a while, whenever she thought about the exact time he did that, she couldn't help but face palm in pure embarrassment, because while she had felt nothing but compassion for the once undying man, she didn't _intend_ for him to take things to the next level or without second thoughts. So now, she knew he did indeed think of her as attractive or alluring, which rather made Lightning shiver at the thought, because obviously, no man thought of her like that.

If he was going to love her, he'd have to wait millions of years for her just to love him back. In other words, Lightning _hadn't_ fallen for him, despite the firm kiss he delivered to her many years ago. But even so, that kiss felt so... new to her even after the years she slept in deep slumber. One question from that feeling remained; in a good or bad way did it feel to her?

 _Logic before feelings..._ She'd remind herself.

To her, Caius was just an interesting man with many untold secrets, like whatever drove him to even demolish the world for girls, all with the same soul, without doubts or guilt to hold him back. A sudden bit of hostility swirled within her thoughts of curiosity as she wondered about the mysterious Guardian, how much they hated each other to death, and yet, he secretly built feelings for her- but _why_ was the unanswered question. As fated foes, they shouldn't have felt nothing but pure hatred for each other, Lightning feeling infinite vexation and disgust at the man for attempting to destroy the world for a soul he loved, while Caius felt endless rage for that woman getting in the way of his plans. Yes- at first sight, how they felt made absolute sense, until something intervened with their hatred for one another. And the only thing that could do that was one's feelings.

Covering a worried gaze that dared to form on her face without her permission, Lightning gave a stare of unsureness at her new companion- his arms loosely crossed as he looked down in thought, wondering secretly of the _girl_ that showed up out of nowhere in his personal mind without authorization. But what _really_ troubled him was how she could wield the very dangerous power he could wield. He did recall the Goddess, but he didn't remember what he would do just to bring about her perish to free girls who suffered an infinite fate like him.

As long as Caius didn't recollect the crucial memories that made him the reasonable lunatic he was years ago, Lightning knew very well he'd considerably be different and the exact opposite from a madman, though the feeling of coldness, just like hers, was the outcome.

Gripping her arm softly, Lightning was the first to enter the seemingly silent abode- her steps causing a soft gasp to echo from behind the counter inside near the door, bottles of all sorts of hues and a tiny kitchen to do all sorts of recipes- from simple sorts of Flan juice to pure bartending. As the others followed her steps in, they were greeted with the unpleasant gawk of a dark haired girl- soft brown eyes widened upon noticing mainly Lightning and Caius- tracing her gaze around their armor of protection in surprise and confusion.

Blank expressions were written across Lightning and Caius's gazes, and they did not understand what was wrong.

Erase that. As soon as Lebreau arched a dark eyebrow in surprise, Lightning flinched as she figured that, not just a few things, but _everything_ was wrong apparently. _That's right... I've been written out of history..._ She recalled in deep thought, keeping her usual cool composure even though anxiety dared to leap out into reality.

"L-Lightning...?" She stammered in deep thought, sweat barely extending from under her messy bangs as she swallowed hard. How was she going to answer this? Before Lightning could speak a few words, her sister gripped her arm, feigning a joyous smile at the NORA member. "O-okay... so the timeline was altered and me and Noel were sent back here... just like them." Serah almost stammered, looking back at her sister for reassurance.

Only a few seconds after, Lightning nodded at the surprised woman as Caius crossed his arms and nodded in sync with her.

"... Oh, I see. But what's with...?" Completely speechless, Lebreau gradually lifted a shaky index finger at Lightning's armor that reflected the indoor lights in all sorts of directions.

"My... armor?" Taken by surprise, she moved her cold eyes down to see the attire she was still clad in before looking back at her.

Setting her hands on her hips and sighing as if it were nothing, she answered back, "Just like Serah's; they fell from the sky."

A smirk of hilarity formed on Caius's lips for some seconds while Serah eyed her sister in frustration. Soon after her question had been answered, Lebreau welcomed them inside, quickly regaining calmness and smiled, watching the strange man clothed in dark armor pass by with a stoic expression just like Lightning's.

Snickering, she caught Serah's attention before she took off with them to explain what they were going to do now that they returned to New Bodhum 3AF.

As Serah gripped Mog's flat-like face with both hands as he squirmed about, Lebreau asked with a concerned expression, "Serah, did you see that dark Bahamut soaring out above New Bodhum? That _sure_ was something!"

As Lebreau smiled again, Serah let out a small giggle as she unhanded the whining moogle, who perched on her shoulder, the neon pink light of the bobble lighting a temple of hers. "Actually... I was part of that event." She replied nervously, wondering if it was a good idea to reveal the truth to her. "Oh...!" Lebreau gasped, becoming interested right away the second her statement was finished and her mouth closed.

"Tell me _more."_ She demanded as she began working up a drink for the younger Farron, the glass sounds tapping against the moving counter.

* * *

While Lightning sent Caius down to one guest room, she decided to explain all of the disorder going on to Noel in the hallway.

Small wall lights radiated the dark, narrow hallway as they rounded to a corner and chatted there after making sure Caius was out of earshot.

Every explanation was widely described, and even though Noel felt like his head was going to detonate on each important fact, he still managed to process everything she informed to him. (Except the fact that Caius fell in love with her...)

"Whoa..." The facts were complicated, but in the end, things made perfect sense, and he almost felt a little disbelief surge through his veins and bones at the very mention that Caius and her, together, slept for so long in crystal stasis.

"Wait, wait, wait... _you're_ telling me, that in Valhalla, Caius _changed_ his mind about destroying the world... because of _you?"_ A weak nod from the warrior was what he got as a response, as she looked down in thought.

At first, the hunter was deeply shocked at what Caius had done. The man who swore an oath for the only girl reincarnated with the same soul over and over, changed his mind about it for one moment because of _her_. Shaking his head frantically, Noel frowned in both disbelief and acceptance at the sudden truth. "I didn't question him about Yeul. I just let him speak his mind." Lightning guessed, crossing her arms as she stared at the guest room that Caius was in, the door shut completely yet no noises generated from inside. All Lightning knew was in that very faint memory, Caius changed suddenly, and didn't want to send the world to oblivion. Then he kissed her. It was difficult to say it to Noel without saying he kissed her. That was what mainly changed him.

Letting out a sigh to put his mind at ease, Noel grit his teeth at the mention of the former enemy. "Damn it, Caius." Startled, Lightning set her bewildered gaze on the hunter that spoke his mind that was infected with pure vexation. "He seeks our world to flow with unseen chaos to get a happy ending with her... and then _you_ come along, and, being the melodramatic man he was, instantly switches his affection to you." Noel muttered in hatred, balling his fists as his anger boiled within him.

"No." Lightning shot back as she leaned against the wall in indecision. She _knew_ she was actually protecting Caius in this small disagreement, because she _wanted_ to figure out more about the Time Guardian who held much more mysteries behind his masks of coldness. When it came to her, logic was always first before feelings, because she still cared for the troubled man since his cause for saving the seeress was fine, but the plan he had for saving her was when things got out of hand.

Fixing her cold glare upon the surprised hunter, she narrowed her eyes, a cold gleam from the icy color stalking him. "Don't jump to conclusions, Noel. He _needs_ to get a new, fresh start."

"So _you_ do care about him, huh?" He inquired curiously.

"You could say I've got sympathy for people, even for former foes with fine reasons for what they wish to do. In our eyes, he was the enemy; but for him, he was just doing what he believed would put his mind at ease." Lightning said, pushing herself off the wall.

"Yeah, you're right. It was the only way he could save Yeul from her fate. It's just that-"

"He _only_ cared about her and no one else." Lightning interrupted smoothly.

Hearing Lightning just saying those words felt like venom gushing through his own blood, as he crossed his arms and a frown formed on his face. Seconds became minutes of silence until Noel finally said unwillingly, "So... now...?"

"Make yourself at home, Noel. Get some rest."

"A new home, huh?" Noel said, almost feeling a surge of hope and excitement chime inside his soul and spirit. "Yes." Lightning replied calmly, her cold expression unchanged since the beginning of their talk.

With that, they dispatched, Noel heading for the living room to hang out with Serah and Lightning heading to her and Serah's room. Back many years when she was still Etro's knight, she noticed that even though people presumed she was dead, NORA was still kind enough to make a bed for her, right next to Serah's just in case.

Curling her fingers around the doorknob and gently twisting it, her eyes of tranquility were welcomed to the beautiful hues of rose, light purple and a light lavender. Allowing her mind to relax from her intricate-filled thoughts, she gently shut her door and took in the delightful fragrance of lavender through her fully opened nostrils, noticing the color of the room was indeed fitting with the smell.

Two beds of the same size, one a dark pink and the other violet, stretched out from the back wall, seemingly aiming at her or the doorway. Lightning breathed out a word of amazement, making her way to the violet bed, noticing a lamp with a lavender shade cover shrouding it on the desk beside it. Accompanying one wall on the side was a dresser with a white flower vase and a delicate pink rose peeking out from within it.

A tiny grin forming from the corners of her lips, Lightning made her way to the beautiful flower. As the distance between it and her closed entirely, she removed her gauntlets and tenderly brushed her thumb upon the thin, sensitive petal sticking out from the blossom.

Roses were easily Lightning's favorite flower, since the time she was a kid to now. Inhaling the fresh fragrance, she was glad that she and Serah could sleep together in this heavenly room.

As silence echoed into her ears within the room, she sat on the violet bed, which belonged to her, the armor she _still_ wore clicking like always in the process.

Why was it silent? She always wondered those very words ever since she was a child, clueless about the outside world and what menaces crawled in it. Eyeing the rose she recently picked with her index finger and thumb, the tiny, sharp thorns posed no threat but protection for the beautiful rose.

"A beautiful rose-" She was cut off the second her door opened, and by instinct, she startled into battle stance, hopping onto her feet and gripping the beautiful flower firmly against her breastplate.

"-Isn't it?" A familiar low voice finished for her as the door swung wide open, revealing the man with a stoic expression.

Realizing it was just Caius, Lightning calmed her thumping heart of anxiety and sat back down on the bed as the violet haired man made his way to the nearest wall and leaned against it, arms crossed and bangs flowing softly. "You alright?" Lightning asked hesitantly, noticing his cold gaze locked on the floor without much effort.

A nod was his reply, but he refused to rest his gaze on her. "Perhaps it was... too _soon_ of me to peck your... lips." He face palmed to himself in awkwardness, shaking his head, noting that she would never forget the moment he placed that kiss for three minutes in the short time he admitted his feelings. (Which he couldn't really recall)

"You know... part of me still _hates_ you from the past." Lightning spat, feeling no regret pinch her hurtfully as she firmly crossed her arms and looked the opposite direction of him. This 'kiss' flashback was greatly starting to infuriate her, and each time she was forced to remember that moment, she felt like... punching Caius just to relieve her of the stress it created. That was the same reason she hated him yet trusted him- at least now.

Caius snorted in amusement even though he was slightly bewildered at the sudden statement, remaining unchanged from before as he noticed her push off the bed and on her feet just to return the rose to its rightful vase.

Eyeing Caius's calm pose once more, Lightning didn't see anything different come out from the man. Yeah, he wasn't a madman set on destroying the world, but his coldness was the boring outcome of not remembering things. She thought Caius would actually be more outgoing or nice, but he wasn't. He was cold and stoic, not that different from her, though he seemed somewhat nicer to her than the others.

Moving the serious business aside, Lightning moved her gaze back onto Caius, who shifted over to the rose in fascination.

"Such a magnificent rose." He breathed calmly, his stance seemingly stiff, causing Lightning to walk beside him in curiosity.

Lightning wondered many years back- those words of Caius's calmness returning within her old memory that still recollected memories from several years back no matter how complex they were. While she recalled most of the 'older' memories like how she defied fate, she remembered them as fresh as a product that was recently released. However, when it came to the _newer_ memory that was five hundred years when Caius admitted how he felt for her- at least, in Valhalla, it was vastly blurry, like burnt pages of ashes in a book, whenever she attempted countless times to recall it. The second she had awoken to the sight of Valhalla's timeless realm, those memories were sapped, and she suspected if it had to do with the timeline being altered or something like that. The only thing she really remembered was Caius whispering something to her before kissing her- which she believed sucked. Because of this, she couldn't recall why she had allowed him do such a thing other than the fact because it felt so... new to her. That kiss was the strong commence of their companionship if they ever need to fight for something- and proof that even enemies could concede to become partners. But even so, it was easy to admit she was extremely _disgusted_ at that sensation from a man who revealed his feelings in such little time. Especially now that she didn't remember why it happened.

"Caius?" The warrior she spoke to turned to her, his melting gaze of coldness meeting hers.

"Do you believe in hope?" She asked in hopes to get something out of him.

Caius leaned on the dresser, his cold, unemotional gaze focusing upon it. Moments of silence passed, making Lightning feel chills of coldness down her spine.

"When the situation is dire only then do I plead for hope." He answered coldly with a blank expression of thought. The woman became interested, recalling how terribly awful he felt when a Yeul passed away. Come to think of it, it worked like a picked flower; when a new flower sprouted, a new Yeul was born. With each petal that fell off the blossom, Yeul had a vision. And eventually, when all the petals were plucked and the plant died, Yeul had enough visions and passed on. The thought of the similarities horrified Lightning as she remembered the days back in Valhalla, when Caius would place a different Yeul in the calm shores of the dead ocean, how different his expression was compared to when he'd battle her in anger and amusement. When Caius rested Yeul in those shores, she'd secretly pity him, watching him afar from the ruined city. Those special times were the only times Caius actually felt complete pain and agony. That very distress was never one a human could describe or live through normally, even a human like her. It was unimaginable and complete torment.

 _And he couldn't die..._ Lightning felt even more sorry for the fact that he couldn't even remember those tragic times. He had hope, and that hope led him to never give up on the seeress, a reason to fight... just like her and Serah. The similarity shocked Lightning without much effort. And something- a forgotten moment that would explain many things, like why he kissed her or fell for her right after so many battles instantly. _But why me? Why did he fall for me?_ No matter how many times Lightning questioned herself, she knew she wouldn't ever be figuring out the truth now that she didn't tell him what happened years ago. If all she remembered was the kiss, then how would she know about what caused it in the first place? Caius probably didn't remember why that kiss was placed anyway other than it being random or declaring the war over.

Caius sighed in irritation, rubbing his forehead as a headache hastily found its desired spot, sending the pain with a sudden _jolt,_ or at least, that's what it felt like. "Lightning," The knight turned thoughtfully to him. Now it was his turn to speak what his mind told him so.

"When oblivion consumed me at the shores, I was apprised of two girls I cared significantly for."

Lightning's eyes widened; she knew exactly who those two were, and it was a hint that if Caius continued to talk about it more, his recollection would suddenly be restored, and his grief would consume him, or at least, that's what she was told. She was sure of it; when they were an epitaph dedicated to all the Yeuls that had passed, many times, Caius would feel woe consume him as a Yeul passed away when they weren't under his watch. He could feel their agony and suffering within his own heart, and he wanted to kill himself just to relieve himself of stress. Lightning was sure he'd go all out crazy if he could move or was awake, so she refused to let him hear his memories of cold blooded anguish once more. Eventually, over the time, something _changed,_ and she could feel Caius's misery for Yeul weaken until it was no longer present. If Caius woke up and recalled everything, things would most likely be _much_ different from how they were, but the fact that he hugged her the moment he awoke told her entirely that he no longer had memories of Yeul, and it made her wonder how vile it felt to be forgotten by someone who swore to the end of time to never lose faith or hope. For a moment, Lightning felt egocentric, like she screwed up before firmly reassuring her own self to get a hold of herself.

"It was just a nightmare, Caius." She reassured uncertainly, deciding to keep him away from the treacherous topic. The lie stabbed her like merciless needles into her heart, and Lightning felt like jumping into an inescapable hole just to escape the feeling. Lies make things worse, she was once told. But here, it seemed like lying was the best option available other than the truth, so she could experience how the Guardian could be before his insanity first toyed with his mind. In other words, possibly like eons ago when Paddra still existed and was a decent village.

"A nightmare? My doubts are high, but even so, we do not know the true meaning of what it was." He replied in an unruffled manner.

Lightning's bones quivered as her ears sucked in his response hesitantly.

 _I have to know what he'd be like without being a lunatic..._ She reminded herself, noticing the man's glare of slight disbelief, his violet eyes darker than any other human's she had known. Those eyes once experienced things worse than death, and Caius wasn't even _human_ or alien. He was simply a corpse who suffered an undying fate, and he wished to rid of it, almost like how Lightning fought against fate for what she believed was right. The resemblance would be a feeling Lightning would get every single day. She wasn't at all that different from Caius, but she wanted to knock some sense into that thick head of his if he remembered how crazed he was about destroying the world for one girl.

 _Wait a second..._

Without putting that much thought into it, she gave Caius a well-deserved _whack_ on the back of his head, a smirk forming on her rosy lips. Despite the rather brute force she charged in that short action, Caius remained unmoved, although it pretty much worsened his headache. Upon realizing he ignored the hurting sensation, Lightning wondered about these new 'blessings' Etro or some other god gave them. When they awoke from their sleep, she was sure she felt a new sort of power wake within her limbs not too long after.

"Do you feel the power course within your frame?" Caius's sudden question nearly startled the knight before she nodded calmly.

"Another gift from a god. Could be Etro's or another's." Lightning responded, curious of this new power and what abilities it granted upon them.

"We'll discover what they do when the time arrives."

Nodding in response, she decided to end their conversation with a final question.

"Say, did you really teleport us here to New Bodhum 3AF voluntarily?"

Caius arched an eyebrow as he crossed his arms before simply shaking his head; "I did not. I only raised my hand before we were sent here."

"A god or goddess's orders?"

"Perhaps." He shrugged, his shoulders bulky as usual. Taking the response hesitantly, Lightning concluded they'd just be staying over in the beach until something out of the normal happened, or whatever counted as companionship, which meant they were stuck together. After some seconds, she replied coldly, "Alright, now get out of my room."

Smiling instead of smirking, Caius sniggered through his throat, which Lightning didn't expect as he took his leave, the steps echoing at a slow tempo within her ears before the sudden _thump_ noise had been produced by shutting the door closed.

"He isn't that different..." Lightning mumbled with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms before staring at her reflection on the shiny mirror before her. Upon notice, her eyes widened in horror as she unwillingly spoke, "I'm a mess..."

Looking at the rose haired knight's current form, it was one she would never forget. Her pink locks were practically no longer resembling the crystallized Cocoon. Where they should've been resting on the end of her west collarbone was now changed. They were now flowing on her back, like a typical woman's would when their hair was let out. The sight of her hair being like this made Lightning wonder exactly how long it was forced to stay on her shoulders. And Caius noticed them without her knowing since her armor wouldn't allow her to feel the tickles the locks produced on the usual spot.

And her mane wasn't the only abnormal thing; her armor was practically scraped- either because of how surprisingly obsolete it was in Valhalla or from the wounds Caius gave her through their war. Upon noticing a trail of feathers from her old sash scattered across the brown carpet, she wondered why Caius didn't tell her anything about her current appearance.

"And here I thought Caius's armor was outdated." She muttered under her breath, setting her hands on her hips. Not too long after, the former protector of Etro moved her glare of unsureness on the closet sliding door adjacent to the dresser she stood by. A smile of reassurance visible on her lips, Lightning made her way to the closet. Skimming it open, her eyes were greeted to the sight of all sorts of outfits that could only fit her or Serah; from a knee length teal dress with buttons that was also sleeveless, to a brown tank top accompanied by denim shorts. Smiling even wider, Lightning moved her gaze back to her armor.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to remove this after so long..." She mumbled in assurance, beginning to unstrap the tight buckles that strictly held her armor together.

* * *

Most of the unusual day went on with the residents of New Bodhum alarmed about Chaos Bahamut's presence with a girl who looked like Lightning Farron, causing rumors to spread like an epidemic would. The day was coming to a closure, as Serah was glad to finally be able to sleep with her sister. The night went on with Caius and Noel's loud snores produced from a fine sleep, easily overruling the comfortable expectations from their original times.

Waking up was strange- especially when there was several people residing within the house as the other members of NORA arrived at a super early time- everything in New Bodhum eerily quiet because everyone was still in a quiet slumber.

As a former soldier and a knight of a goddess, it was an instinct for Lightning to wake up at an untimely time. Opening her azure orbs at 5:50am, Lightning pushed herself up into a sitting position, the warmth and coziness from the sheets and blanket comforting her thin skin. Sighing lightly, she ran her fingers through the thin locks of hair upon her shoulders and turned to see her sister's mouth open but her soft eyes shut, as she shifted in the sheets until she was satisfied with facing the other way, her legs being just about the only things the blanket covered. The usual bright room was now flooded with darkness and shadows created only by the serenity yet gloominess of the night that gradually became the morning- the best time for prowling predators to crave bloodlust from helpless prey that always darted out of sight upon possible notice, only to get caught in the merciless gnaws of a pack of undernourished Gorgonopsids that craved greatly for food.

Shoving the covers off her, a faint smile snuck up Lightning's lips at the sight of her sister in such a peaceful state even though she could barely make out anything in the dark atmosphere. Slipping her legs of elegance on the side of the bed ever so quietly, Lightning could scarcely make out the garb she was clad in; white threads combined with exquisite, light-rosy colored fabric, assembled a stunning nightgown that draped over her knees slightly. Letting out a silent yawn of exhaustion, Lightning rubbed her eyes as she gladly made her way out of the room, shooting Serah a last smile before she shut the door with a slight _creak._

Moving through the rather narrow yet long corridors of silence, Lightning perceived a silent conversation about an untold topic through her curious ears, and the whispers that tainted the silence led her to unfamiliar figures in the kitchen. With all the darkness around, she was unable to make out the figures- each bottom half of their bodies blocked in her view by the counter that one of them leaned against. "You think she'll love it? I mean, we misunderstood her disappearance except for her sister, and she's back." A familiar voice spoke doubtfully, causing Lightning to become interested even though she got a clear idea on what it was about.

"Aw, come on, Gadot! After everything she's been through, this is the least we can do for her!" The blonde boy urged the darker toned one. Gadot shrugged with crossed arms and snickered, moving his gaze at whatever surprise they were keeping from the curious knight. "Besides, we _may_ have overhunted the gorgonopsids..." Yuj added, waving his azure blue hair, snapping on the lights. The unexpected illumination engulfed the room in the blink of an eye, and not suspecting the sudden blindness to glide right into her sight, Lightning balled her fists seconds before rubbing both of her eyes in irritation and adjusting her sight on the NORA members.

Believing she had eavesdropped long enough on the unsuspecting members that were usually led by Snow, the pinkette casually strolled into the room, easily catching their attention, which slightly amused her.

They were all gawking at the sight of her except Lebreau. And Lightning knew why- because it had been _so long_ ever since they met face to face again. The last time Lightning recalled meeting their gaze was during the Siege of Eden- quite some time ago before she became embroiled in Etro's business. At first glance, she was pretty sure they were gawking for that very reason, but her mind instantly changed the moment the guys cheered in a rather unpleasant tone that baffled her briefly, **"Lightning!"**

The woman recoiled at the sudden shout of surprise, as they laughed and headed toward her, Lebreau rolling her eyes in amusement as she felt sorry for the woman.

Before they could playfully suffocate her with the power of hugs and compassion, a weary male voice interjected their wild guffaws of enthusiasm because Lightning was back.

"What is happening?" Caius yawned in boredom, already clothed in his dark-like armor that he unknowingly wore for centuries now. It only took half a second for everyone to slowly move their gaze to the unfamiliar man that was across from them, his glare clueless because drowsiness still chomped on him no matter how much he resisted. Snickering quickly, Lightning shifted to the man who wore a solid, straight face, leaving the other three guys in shock and bewilderment.

Straightening her form to look the best, she stood beside him and smirked as Caius casually crossed his arms and grinned- a grin amazingly different from back in Valhalla, when it was a grin of mock. This grin was easily a more pleasant one- and it didn't come as a shocker for her. Her eyes widened only vaguely in interest before the shock that once impressed her died down hastily within her beating heart. Without properly greeting herself to them, she answered smoothly, "This is Caius, you three. He is new here, so don't start funny business." She spoke coldly and sternly, nearly frightening Maqui and Yuj with not much effort.

She immediately whirled to Caius, her chilling gaze studying his. "Caius, these four are the NORA gang, led by Snow Villiers, who isn't present at the time. The blonde one is Maqui." She presented her partner to the boy with goggles strapped to his forehead, who was sheepishly forcing himself to smile once the man brought his gaze onto him. Caius gave a slight gesture that he heard, and as Lightning introduced all of the members to him, she and Caius noticed without any effort that they were actually intimidated at the sight of them being together. When Lightning told them about the warrior, she decided not to hand off the complex story to others but Serah and Noel. It wasn't that she didn't trust them; it was because she didn't want innocents to get entangled in possible conflict and the complexity of the story, and also not to alarm the man who suffered amnesia.

Immediately trying to change the subject and ignoring the chilling man, Gadot smiled the best he could at the pinkette, walking to her and resting a warm, masculine arm on her shoulder, guiding her away from Caius and to them, where her gift was held in Lebreau's hands, fingers wrapped around the box tightly and protectively as she approached with Gadot giving her a light shove on the back. Vaguely tottering before the raven haired woman, Lightning straightened herself, looking over her shoulder to give a glare of threat at the bulky man who stood beside Yuj, who scratched his head in embarrassment.

Jerking her head back to face a confused gaze from Lebreau, she sweetly set the gift box in her thin palm, the weight of it feeling strangely light and alien to her, because it had been quite some time since she held something so delicate other than her sword back in Valhalla. Shifting the box up and down to see whether if the sight of the box was playing tricks on her or maybe it was just her usual instinct of grabbing something hefty like her sword or shield, Lightning was eager to know what this box shielded from her eyes of unending curiosity.

Tenderly twiddling the box as her form of shaking since it was strangely very light, she shut her eyes before gripping the cover of the box. Inhaling no fragrance or aroma in particular within the room, she lifted the cover and opened her eyes two seconds after.

Resting inside it on a tiny little pillow, it was that same steel that flickered in any radiant source's eye, unlike any steel she had used previously, even her current blade. That sharp knife was supposed to show that everyone was overjoyed to see that she had returned, but that wasn't how it came to her. Instead, that blade caused nightmares to spread within her head like an epidemic instantly. Gripping the hilt as lightly as she could as if it would fade into dust or dirt easily, Lightning couldn't conceal a worried expression that appeared moments after lifting it to her to face's height to focus a clear glare on it. Suddenly clinging the blade and facing down in pure shame, Lightning battled the tears that engulfed her eyes with ease. Speed walking away from Lebreau, Lightning, gripping the blade tighter than anything ever in her life, walked outside, when dawn began arising with a tiny brilliance from the upcoming sun.

* * *

As the beautiful radiance began working its magic in the sky to engulf the atmosphere with brilliance after its long, fearful hours of being shrouded in only darkness, Lightning ran like her namesake, her unprotected feet gracefully allowed her to dart into the overlapping shores, her dress playing along with the soft breezes as it glided like banners behind her legs along with them, as if they attempted many times to tug the woman back towards the desired direction.

Regardless of the fact she just ran away from the house and left NORA in petrification with ease, Lightning actually fled the locale because 'Claire' was desperately trying to break her powerful exterior with tears.

 _Tears... dammit._ Smirking as she easily regained her self control, Lightning forced her orbs onto the seemingly provoking weapon that stalked her soul; the knife Serah gave to her on her birthday. Gliding her free hand upon her left breast, she recalled the precious, deeply, memorable times before her eternal war commenced with Caius. How she became a l'Cie made the blood trickle down her veins even faster. Even though she accepted the reason why her sister was kidnapped was all because she refused to believe her, it was something Lightning would never forget ever again. That thought hurt worse than needles being thrust into her body a lot more. She could never forgive herself for everything she caused. It was purely unforgettable, how much pain she caused Serah just by not believing her supernatural truth.

Scowling at the thought, another swift breeze lifted her pink locks and dress into unpredictable patterns of beauty as she kicked a small bundle of sand into the sea.

As long as she had this knife, this cruel reminder of what caused Serah to be captured long ago, Lightning would succumb to endless grief and possibly even lose her dignity of what made her strong in the first place.

Gritting her teeth, she seethed in angry breaths, "Stupid knife..."

Without another thought or word to hold her back, she hurled the weapon into the salty ocean, getting swallowed by an incoming wave far in the distance. Lightning smirked as it sunk under the liquid surface never to be seen again. It was a great stress reliever that satisfied her pride with ease, as she crossed her arms and continued watching the calm waves abruptly rise from the ocean again and again.

Letting out a "Tch", Lightning let out a sigh, and before she could turn back to apologize to NORA for leaving them in a rush, warm fingertips lightly tightened on her exposed, light shoulders because of her dress. Flinching at the sudden touch, she whirled around to see Caius with an amused smile written on his face.

"Don't do that, Caius." She breathed hesitantly, realizing how fast her heart paced at the surprising touch. She hated coming to the realization that Caius nearly scared the living daylights out of her.

"You entertain me, Warrior Goddess. Everyone else doesn't seem to trust me no matter how kind I attempt to act." He admitted, eyeing her icy orbs that always glimmered in his presence.

"Call me Lightning." She told him, realizing she gained nothing so far from how this Caius seemed. The Caius from the war was one who mocked her for defending Etro and would do anything for a girl who died over and over. Even without memories, Caius seemed to be the same, only without insanity, though Lightning already knew him as a cold man already. Nothing special was going to come out other than being more obedient and a tad bit more nice. Sighing, Lightning gave up on trying to learn something new out of him. It was hopeless. All she knew was that he had some feelings for her only because of the past. How? Because he embraced her and such when they awoke. She also figured out that Caius had hope, and actually smiled for once instead of smirking. All of these didn't impress her. She wanted to see a mood change at least, and it wasn't surprising to see him acting so cold.

"As you please, Lightning." He grinned.

"I'm gonna guess NORA sent you out here to return me?"

"Practically. I offered to apologize for them. They weren't sure what to present as a homecoming gift for you, so that knife was all they had. But I can see you've discarded it." He explained patiently, noticing the anger that barely still flared within her cold eyes.

"Not like I need it anymore. The sight of it makes me irritated." She mumbled as they made their way onto the sand, the dazzling radiance of the sun looking as if it rose from behind the ocean, the daybreak already commencing as the sands appeared to become lighter and the ocean too.

Changing the topic immediately, Caius asked, "Have you heard Etro's call?"

Lightning arched her eyebrows, taken by surprise by the question. She almost forgot that they were here for a reason- because Etro instructed them to do _something_ now that they were partners. They both knew that Etro had something up her sleeve for ordering them to become companions in the first place.

"I think only you heard it, Caius." She shrugged before asking what Etro had sent through telepathic messages in his mind.

"Etro has assigned us to a journey we must undergo. In order to commence this, all we have to do is reveal a message that 'others' eyes have missed'."

Lightning frowned when she realized this was a riddle. This wasn't the time for problem solving or thinking! "Is it... here?" She inquired with hopes of 'yes' being the answer. "Yes, within the vicinity of New Bodhum, the message lies. But do not underestimate the upcoming journey _or_ this riddle, Lightning. The message will be difficult to find." He told the woman who already began walking off on the beach.

"C'mon. We need to find it as quickly as possible." Lightning impatiently announced, setting all of her attention on finding the message as her new companion followed her hesitantly through the now warm sands.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, from here, I'll try updating once a week only to give time to people who need to read this. I update fast, but I'll slow it down now. Finally, the beginning point is coming to a conclusion. The real stuff will happen when the journey begins!**

 **So yeah, Lightning's had a little amnesia from that time when Caius admitted his feelings from An End to Eternal War, while Caius only remembers some times in Paddra and kissing Lightning. Hmm...**


End file.
